Instagram is not just a website to post pictures with tons of hashtags: if you use it in a smart way, it will be the greatest tool to advertise your brand while it is one of the most popular social media apps available.

Having a great feed is not enough to fulfill your needs of being seen and grow a business reputation: you will need more than creating hashtags and getting the most meaningful pictures. Be present on Instagram and increase your visits and sales with these useful recommendations from our experts.

1. Plan your posts

Remember you will fill the feeds of other people, as well as you need to get great feeds to be always the one with the greatest style inside Instagram. Your bio must be directed to marketing, but without losing that personal touch that describes brands with a heart, those ones that people really remember for their feeds.

Place the link belonging to your brand in your bio. This link must take people to a website that contains the same posts from Instagram, that at the same time shares extra info, answers FAQs, attracts subscribers and potential customers… and much more. It must be not only attractive, but also powerful and suggestive.

2. Tag affiliate/friend/partner brands: Cross-Promotion

Nowadays we have many ways to make marketing, and one of them includes promoting other brands that are not yours. If you have a clothing store, for example, ask for some of the clothing brands to tag you, and even promote your services and products. You do the same… and both of you win!

3. Quality pics are a must

If you decide to use Instagram as one of your platforms to jump to success, understand this point. Pictures are essential, they speak more than a thousand words, and high-quality pictures are one of the secrets of your success.

Shoot square pictures, so they fit perfectly on Instagram and no details are missed.

Not only colorful pics are important, but also text pictures, and pictures with many different topics, all of them related directly or indirectly to your brand.

Don’t forget the resolution! Pixelated pictures are not a good idea to post if you want to have a successful marketing campaign, so if you are going to use your smartphone to take pictures for your Instagram account, make sure they are always in the best resolution.

There are many apps for taking great pictures and then sending them to Instagram. Choose one and start taking pics of everything to choose the best ones to post!

4. Use shorteners to customize your links

Shortening links will help you know traffic leads from Instagram to your website or any other links you post, and customized shortening links will help you a lot more than Google Analytics on this purpose.

Remember to check your data continuously to know how many people are redirected from your Instagram account to the links you posted.

Every time you post a new link, post it with a different shortener to keep track of the traffic leads you have received.

5. #HashtagsAreLife

Trends never stop, and they never stop changing, either. That’s why you must prepare a list of the most important dates, holidays, and other events in advance, unless they are unexpected. If so, post creative hashtags related to those sudden events to show your interest.

Avoid placing your brand on controversial points of view that will cost you followers.

If there are other trendy tags around, and you can have a benefit from them, use them!

People these days search even emojis! An emoji can speak better than a thousand copy texts, but only if they have the ability of expressing what the picture means. Don’t abuse: use them wisely and only when they are related to the picture.

6. Call to action!

If you are willing to get more subscribers, invite them to download interesting content from your website such as ebooks, or just invite them to visit your website through an attractive picture that explains with no words why your website is worth of a visit.

Then, if it’s possible invent a way in which you can get their emails, not to bother them with annoying emails every single day, but to send them important info from time to time, just as a reminder that your brand is there and gives people relevant content to keep their attention.

7. Pics and videos together

Not only pictures and hashtags are the key factor for success on Instagram for brands, but also creativity. Record original content on short videos that look like pictures!

It’s as simple as recording for some seconds, then pausing, changing the scene, and recording for some seconds again. Repeat it until you have all the shots and that’s all.

8. Engage your followers –and those who still aren’t- to your crazy ideas

For example, if you did step 8, encourage your followers to record the best video about any theme, and offer a prize occasionally to keep them motivated and talking about you.

Publish and sell eBooks on Kindle if you want people to know more about your brand.

Perform some tasks and get paid! Human Intelligence Tasks (HITs) allow you to process data or images and research on several websites, among other tasks.

9. Remember your Instagram goal: people, not your brand

Talking all the time about oneself is annoying, disgusting and stupid. It’s like having a 24-hour bragger next to us explaining why it’s awesome to meet them, and even asking us to like them when the only thing we want to do is keep them apart, as far as possible from us.

It’s similar to those ones who like their own posts on Facebook: it’s awesome that you like what you do… maybe that’s why you keep doing it, right?

There’s no need for everybody to know that you like what you post, and there’s no need to show yourself all the time like “Hello, it’s me (once more: hey, I’m here, look at me).” However, talking about others, engaging them and making them share their likes and dislikes with you will make you grow on Instagram.

In Wegacha, our group of experts know exactly what to do to keep a good leadership record on any social network. Just write us and we’ll be glad to tell you more!